Korn

Korn’s 1994 debut introduced their thuggish yet sophisticated take on nu metal. Between David Silveria’s syncopated drumming and the band’s adventurous merging of rap and metal, tracks like “Fake” and “Helmet in the Bush” change direction in a heartbeat. Glowering frontman Jonathan Davis is at once melodic and cathartic (especially on the overdriven opener “Blind”), and revels in his uncanny vocal range. But no matter what alchemy is at work, sheer intensity wins out—even amid the familiar nursery rhymes on “Shoots and Ladders”.